New Lands
by wolfemblem
Summary: Ever wonder why Lyn and the tactician aren't in FE: The Sealed Sword? Well, here's your answer. They were too busy exploring new lands. Along with some other characters from FE7, they will go on an adventure to other continents and meet new friends and make some new enemies... Rated T just to be safe. Probably more like K .
1. Prologue Pt 1

_ **Author's Note****: **Well, I'm going to call this my first "official" fan fiction. I did post another one, called The Adventures of Dry Bones, but that is going to take a back burner compared to this series. I really want to make this story the very best that I can. I worked especially on the fact that I tend to give the only the skeleton of a story without enough details and other meat. I hope that is not the case with this story. Please read and review!_

**New Lands**

**Prologue: Beginning of a New Journey**

**Part 1: Surprise Visit**

The plains were silent except for the gentle breeze that rustled the sea of grass. No bandits to disturb the serenity of the scenery today. A lone woman, looking about 20 years old, was standing in front of her ger. She knew that she needed to visit Bulgar for supplies since she was low on food and hunting was not very good at this time of year; yet she just could not move from this spot. She felt the breeze swaying her hair.

* * *

A young man, looking about 21 years of age, was traveling across the plains. His green cloak swaying in the breeze. He figured that he was almost there. He could not wait to see her again; and being able to surprise her was just a bonus.

It had been a year since the battle with Nergal had ended. Since then, he had traveled all over Elibe, honing his tactical skills; and he even learned some anima magic (particularly, thunder magic) while in Etruria. And now, he was on his way to surprise a good friend, whom he had a crush on.

From afar, he could see her standing in front of her ger – the same ger where he had first met her when she had found him on the plains and brought him to her ger. "Lyn..."

* * *

As Lyn stood and felt the wind on her face, she thought out loud, _"_I wonder where William is at this moment? I hope he is somewhere with a breeze at least half as good as this one."

"No, it's about the same over here," replied William as he moved towards Lyn.

"Huh, William?" sounded Lyn as she slowly turned around. When she saw him she yelled, "William! How have you been?" as she ran over and hugged her friend.

"Oh … Um … Well, okay, I guess," William stammered as he stumbled back a step, not used to being hugged, especially by a girl and double especially when that girl was Lyn (even though she had hugged him countless times during the time they were traveling with Eliwood, Hector, and the rest of the heroes who defeated Nergal).

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you send word that you were coming?" Lyn asked as she released him from her hug.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you. Surprise..." William replied with a simple wave of his hands. "Were you surprised?"

"Of course!" Lyn replied. "Come inside, I was about to ma..." Lyn dropped the sentence right there as she remembered that she had to go to Bulgar for food and supplies today.

"What's wrong, Lyn?" William inquired.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Lyn explained, "Well, I was supposed to go to Bulgar for supplies today, but I got distracted by the breeze and lost track of time."

"Well, I guess I'll just be on my way then," Will said nonchalantly.

"Wait, really? Why? I can be back in like two hours if I hurry." Lyn quickly said in order to convince William to stay.

Will started to laugh a little as he said, "I'm only joking, Lyn. I would never just walk out on someone I'm visiting because they have no food. I'll even go with you to Bulgar, Lyn."

"Jerk," Lyn said as she fake punched him in the shoulder. Now they both were both laughing. As they started to calm down, Lyn added, " The sun is starting to set, and by the time we get to Bulgar, it will have completely set."

"We could either go now and get a couple of rooms for the night at the inn there, or we could stay here and go first thing in the morning," Will said.

"I'm sure that we can scrape something up to eat tonight. Let's stay here for tonight, " Lyn replied.

Later that night as they were eating a small meal of a half loaf of stale bread and some dried meat, Lyn asked, "So William, what have you been doing since everyone parted ways?"

William thought a moment before saying, "Let's see, I traveled all over Elibe expanding my tactical knowledge, learned some thunder magic while in Etruria, and am now married."

"Married? I didn't think you would get married already, " Lyn said kind of aloofly. "Have you settled down, yet?"

No longer able to control himself, William burst out laughing and quickly explained, "I was just kidding, Lyn, I'm not married yet. I'm not ready for that."

Unfortunately, Lyn didn't seem too amused. "You jerk!" Lyn yelled and walked out of the ger leaving William just sitting there in regret. After a minute, he said to himself, "I'm an idiot." He then stood up and walked out of the ger.

* * *

"Lyn, I said I was sorry," William pleaded. "I thought you would react the same way you did when I feigned leaving."

"Well, you were wrong," Lyn chided.

"Well, the only thing to do is sit right in front of the door and block your way into the ger until you accept my apology," William said as he sat in front of the ger entrance.

"You will give up first," Lyn said. "I was born on these plains; so I am use to the cold nights of the plains."

"We'll see," William added.

* * *

**THREE HOURS LATER...**

* * *

"I knew he would fall asleep eventually," Lyn smiled. She stealthily walked toward the entrance, but as she was stepping around William, He suddenly sprung up and ensnared her with his arms like a big hug.

"Gotcha!" William happily cheered.

"H- H- How did you..." Lyn stuttered out of pure confusion.

"I knew that if I feigned sleep for long enough you would feel confident enough to try and get past me," explained William. "Of course, in order to deceive you I had to run the risk of actually falling asleep so you would believe it."

"Alright, genius, how do you plan on getting me to accept your apology?" Lyn aksed.

"I'm just going to hold you right here until you do," William simply answered.

They then heard a low rumbling sound, and they both suddenly collapsed laughing. "Looks like that meal was lighter than we thought," William laughed.

"Okay, I accept your apology," Lyn laughed.

After talking more about what each one had been doing (Luckily, William had learned his lesson and stuck to the truth.) for about another two hours, they finally went to sleep. Lyn slept in her bed, while William slept in a big Sacaen Papasan chair.

_**End Part.**_

_**Author's Note****: **Well I hoped you liked the first part of my story. Please review! _

_P.S. I love Papasan chairs. They are so comfortable! _


	2. Prologue Pt 2

**New Lands**

**Prologue: The Beginning of a New Journey**

**Part 2: The Sword  
**

** The sound and smell of eggs cooking filled the ger. William's eyes were still closed, but he surmised that Lyn must have found some eggs lying around and decided to make breakfast. They smelled good. **

** "Lyn?" William asked. **

** "Oh, good, you're awake. It's time for breakfast," Lyn said. "Luckily, I had two eggs left, so we each get one; and there is also some stale bread left over as well." **

** "Thanks," replied William as he sat at the table. "I actually came for another reason other than just to visit you." **

** Lyn looked at him and asked as she sat across from him and dished out the eggs and bread,"What else did you come for?" **

** "Well, first, do you have any plans for the foreseeable future?" William asked. **

** Lyn thought for a moment before answering,"No, not that I can think of." **

** William thought about what he wanted to say then asked,"Would you like to travel with me again. Last time when you asked me we sort of got 'side tracked' by a certain greedy granduncle." William chuckled at the last bit. **

** "Really? Um … well … travel to where?" Lyn shyly asked. "I mean did you have any specific plans?" **

** "Well, apparently some mercenary washed up on the Bern shore, and he claims that he is from some other continent called Tellius. He said that he was actually headed back to Tellius from another continent called Archanea. But when I got to Bern, I was called before the King, King Zephiel. He, of course, knew of me from a year ago. What he wanted to do was a complete shock to me. He wanted me to go with this mercenary back to his home continent and explore it. I said I would think about it and asked if I could bring any one else. He said that I could bring a small group with me. So this brings me as to why I'm here: I would like you to come with me to the continent of Tellius," William quickly explained. **

** "You want me to come with you to an unknown continent?" Lyn asked confusedly. **

** "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just … well … thought that … because we were..." William stammered before Lyn interupted. **

** "Why me?" Lyn asked curiously. **

** "Uh, well … I figured that … uh … because we were … uh … planning to travel together before the incident with your granduncle, we could … well, uh … travel now … together," stuttered William as he blushed a little. Following up, he added, "I also want to see if I would run into anybody else that we knew and possibly invite them." **

** Lyn thought for a moment. She finally answered with a smile, "I would love to travel with you again, William." **

** "That's great!" William exclaimed. "But we have to leave for Bern in about a week. Actually, I was hoping to travel somewhere else to perhaps run into someone I know." **

** "Let's leave now than," Lyn said with a smile. "We can go north through Illia and back down to Bern. I wanted to visit Florina anyway." **

** "Sure, let's go," William agreed. "Should we still go to Bulgar for supplies? It's southeast of here, but we're headed north." **

** "No, we don't need to stop at Bulgar. We can stop at one of the smaller villages on the way for supplies," Lyn explained. "Before we go, I need to wash off. Why don't you see what supplies we can take from here while you wait for me." **

** "Okay," replied William as Lyn entered the bathing room. "Now than, what can we use for our journey..."**

* * *

** As William was looking for supplies in the ger, he came across a weapon rack of many swords and a few bows. "_Interesting swords,_" he thought to himself. "Wait a second, I don't think Lyn has ever used this sword before," William commented as he grabbed a beautifully decorated sword from its place on the wall. He gave it a couple of swings and said, "Even thought this sword looks ceremonial, it seems very capable for battle." Then, as he knocked on the bathing room door, he asked, "Hey, Lyn, have you ever used this really nice ceremonial looking sword?" **

** Upon realizing which sword he was talking about, she yelled, "Don't Touch That Sword!" Hearing her yell like that he fumbled around the sword almost dropping it. He then quickly replaced it back on the wall. **

** "Okay!" he shouted back. "But, what's it for?" **

** Lyn walked out of the bathing room before answering. She finally said, "It is a Sacaen Sword of Betrothal." **

** William's eyes widened, "Did you say 'Betrothal'?" **

** "Yes," Lyn responded. "It is passes down from father to daughter each generation. Once the daughter is proposed to, and if she consents, she is to give her Sword of Betrothal to that man." **

** "What if she doesn't give it to someone and it is stolen or someone merely picks it up by accident?" William nonchalantly and innocently asked. **

** "Well, as long as the daughter and some other man do not touch the sword within the same twenty-four hour period, everything should be fine," Lyn explained. "Why do you ask?" **

** "It just seemed like an obvious problem to me," William said. **

** "I know you touched the sword, William," Lyn said insightfully. **

** "H- How did you know?" William asked nervously. **

** "I didn't … until just now," Lyn replied with a evil smile on her face. **

** With his head facing the floor, he said, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?" **

** "Yep!" Lyn replied. "Anyway, pick up the sword and put it in this hole; so no one can steal it." **

** "Sure, because you can't touch it for twenty-four hours, right?" William responded. **

** "Correct," Lyn replied. As William walked to the indicated hole, he tripped on a loose rug and the sword went flying from his hands. Without thinking, Lyn grabbed the sword before it could hit the ground. "Oops," was her reply. **

** William stared at her while she held the sword and asked, "What now?" **

** Lyn hands the sword back to William and says, "This is, at least for now, yours. We don't have to get married right now, but neither of us can marry someone else. Also, you must always carry this sword with you until the marriage." **

** William looked at Lyn while she was looking at the floor and said, "I'm sorry, Lyn, this is my fault. I shouldn't have been touching a sword that was obviously hung on the wall for a reason. What are the consequences for not complying?" **

** Lyn looked up at William and answered, "The male shall be cursed by Father Sky and will never be able to settle down in one place, not to mention never be able to marry. The female will be cursed by Mother Earth with infertility." **

** "Is there a way so that only the male is cursed?" William solemnly asked, but right after he had said the words, Lyn slapped him across the mouth. "Lyn..." She was on the verge of tears. **

** "Don't try to act all self-sacrificing," Lyn said still holding back tears. "It's my fault for leaving such an important item unprotected." **

** "Lyn," William said soothingly, "I know it's a Sacaen custom, but you should be free to marry whomever you want." **

** "I teschnically am, or was, because very few Sacaen families set up arranged marriages any more, and since my parents are dead any ways they can't set up an arranged marriage," Lyn explained. The Sword of Betrothal is the only Sacaen custom that Sacaens have to follow still, besides the age requirement which is set by the individual tribes." **

** "Perhaps there is a way out of it. So you can have your choice of husband," William said. **

** "It's not your fault, William, it's mine. I just want to make sure the one I marry is my true love, and I'm not ready for marriage any ways," Lyn explained. **

** "Believe me, I'm not ready for marriage either," William commented. "But your right, there's no point for two people to get married if they don't love each other." **

** "Thanks, William, you're a good friend," Lyn said as she hugged him. (That's not exactly what one wants to hear from his/her crush.) "Maybe we can find a way in the villlages to the north." **

** "I'm sure we can," William agreed positively. **

**END PART.**

_**Author's Note****: Well, this part is actually longer than I thought it would be; even though the part in general is pretty short. I actually wanted to add the next 'event' to this part, but this 'event' took, like I said before, too much space. If I had put the next segment in here, this part would probably triple in length, maybe. **_

_**More character's will be introduces in the next part.**_

_**P.S. There's a reason that I'm not using the word chapter. Just in case anyone was wondering. **_

_**P.S.S. Please Review!**_


	3. Prologue pt 3

_**Author's**_** Note**_**:** Happy October 3rd, everyone!_

**Jaffar:** What's so happy about it. It's not a holiday.

Me: Jaffar! How did you get in here?

Jaffar: You tell me; after all, I'm just a figment of your imagination.

Me: Riiiggghhhht... Anyways, Today is the day that part 3 of my FE Fanfic is up.

Jaffar: So, I read it, it's not that good.

me: Your just mad because you're not in it yet.

...

me: Thanks a lot, Jaffar. Youu made me link out important plot information. Everyone, Enjoy! I'm out of here!

Nino: That was your plan all along, wasn't it, Jaffar?

Jaffar:(grins)

Nino: Review everyone! Hey, Wolfemblem, they know your still here because you're the one who has to type for us.

Me: Aw man!

**New Lans**

**Prologue: The Beginning of a New Journey**

**Part 3: The Saint of Swords & the Scribe of Darkness**

They had been traveling for a few hours with no signs of a town anywhere. The scenery was nice though. The grass of the plains rippled as the wind passed over. It was nearly mid day, but they still had not come to a town. They knew that they would need to at least find shade soon because at this time of year the plains would be at their hottest especially at mid day.

"Look a spring!" William shouted.

"Thank Mother Earth, we're saved!" Lyn happily replied.

They filled their canteens and decided to rest until the heat lessened. There were a few trees around the spring. They provided ample shade and combined with the cool spring water prevented them from overheating. After a couple of hours they left.

* * *

"Lyn, how far do you think the closest town is?" asked William.

Lyn took another gulp of water before answering, "Well, I know there are three settled towns between us and the border. We should run into one of them soon."

"Good, because we're out of the rations we brought," William said as he checked the satchel that had their supplies. Lyn looked at him and was about to say something, but William added, "We don't really have much gold between us; so, we won't be able to stay at inns."

"That's okay with me," Lyn smiled. She was trying to put on a happy face, but I could see that the heat was taking its toll on her.

"Ly-," William started to say but Lyn interupted.

"Look! A town!" She exclaimed. He was relieved; He didn't know how long either of them would have lasted.

As they neared the town gate, they could hear some sort of commotion from within the town. They could tell that there was fighting within these walls. Lyn drew the legendary sword that had chosen her as its wielder – the Manni Katti. William pulled out a tome of Elthunder. They then entered the town.

* * *

When they came into the center of town, they saw bandits everywhere. There were bandits raiding houses and beating up citizens, but the majority seemed to be focused on attacking the town hall. That's when William and Lyn both noticed a familiar swordsman and druid. "Is that Guy and Canas?" William asked.

"I think it is," Lyn replied. "We have to help them and this village. William, stay back and direct my blade."

"Hey, remember, I can actually fight now since I have this here tome, and I have some skill with a sword now," William declared.

"Okay, than cover me while you guide me, but still stay back," Lyn ordered.

"Sure, that makes since anyway, because I am technically better at ranged fighting anyway," William gave in. "Okay, a few of their rear units have noticed us. I'll hit them from afar and you dash in and finish them."

"Heh, heh, heh, what do we have here? A pretty lady and some loser with a book?" one of the bandits taunted.

"Let's kill the punk with the spell book, but make sure to keep the lady alive," another bandit said. "She looks like she may be valuable."

"Heh, the boss will probably take this one for – AAGH!" William had said an incantation while using some hand gestures and three bolts of lightning had converged on the bandit's location: killing him instantly. Lyn sliced up the other bandit before he could even react to what happened to his fellow bandit.

William and Lyn eventually fought their way to the town hall where the boss, an experienced mercenary known as Merr the Merciless, was fighting the swordsman, Guy. Of course, Merr had no idea that he was facing a legendary swordmaster known as the Saint of Swords.

"There's no way that you can beat me," Merr taunted as he brandished his big bulky Steel Blade.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Guy retorted.

"DIE!" yelled Merr as he charged Guy. Merr swung his sword at Guy diagonally, but Guy nimbly leapt back. Merr swung again, but this time Guy not only deflected the blow, but also disarmed Merr completely. He then leapt back again. Guy's next move was so quick that he struck three consecutive blows almost simultaneously while ending up with an uppercut and landing where he had started. "Uh- Uh- Uh-," is all Merr said as he fell backwards- dead.

"Hey, Guy," William called out casually. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine," he replied just as casually. Guy was the first guy to try to teach the way of the sword to William, but it didn't really work out. _[AN: SEE WHAT I DID THERE?] _

"Aw, William, Lyn, it is good to see the two of you again," Canas said. Canas was a teacher, student, and practitioner of the Elder Magic (A.K.A. Dark Magic).

"Canas, why are you here?" asked Lyn.

"I came here to study the writings of the Sacaen druids. I met up with Guy in the last town I was in, and now he is traveling with me as my bodyguard," Canas explained.

"Yeah, and I'm getting paid quite well; turns out, Canas is rich," Guy added. "He's loaded."

"Wow, Canas, how did you get rich?" William asked.

"I was once a professor of Elder Magic at the Illian Academy of Northumberland. True scholars of Elder Magic are hard to come by; thus, they are paid handsomely." Canas explained.

"By the way, do either of you have any plans for the foreseeable future?" asked William.

* * *

After filling Guy and Canas in on the details of his and Lyns journey, William convinces them both to join them.

"So where are going to now, William?" asked Canas. "Straight to Bern?"

"No, actually, Lyn wanted to go through Illia so she could visit Florina," William explained.

"Right, and it's not smart go against your girlfriend's wishes, correct?" Guy jokingly asked.

Both Lyn and William blushed. Lyn spoke first, "Wh- what? William and I are just friends."

William added, "Ye- Yeah, Guy."

"I think you struck a nerve, Guy," Canas observed.

"Nah, … I struck several," replied Guy.

"I'm going... to... talk to the... uh... magistrate of the town now," William said as he was sure that he was probably bright red by now.

"I'll come with," Canas said.

"I- I'm going... to make sure the villagers are okay," Lyn stammered.

"Yep, definitely struck some nerves," added Guy.

* * *

As William and Canas entered the town hall, they noticed many Sacaen artifacts on the walls. In the front of the room, there was a rather large desk – the magistrate's desk, William presumed. Off to the side there was a wooden lectern which probably would stand where the desk is now whenever the whole town had a meeting. A bunch of folding chairs lined against the right wall reinforced the previous thought.

"Hello, are you the magistrate?" William asked.

"Yes, and you two must be part of the group who saved us," The magistrate said. "Thank-you."

"I cannot accept your thanks, for I feel responsible for the bandit attack," Canas admitted.

"Canas, what do you mean?" inquired William.

Canas sighed before answering, "They were after me, not the town. I was attempting to unlock a new Elder Tome which would be like the Eclipse tome except six times stronger. I had overestimated my abilities and in the end the spell went haywire and was launched in a random direction. I thought it landed in a field harmlessly, but when I heard a bunch of screaming in pain, I knew it had hit a town. Actually, it had hit a bandit camp, but that did not make me feel better. When the Bandits found me in this town they knew it must have been me because of by garb. When confronted, I admitted my guilt, apologized profusely, and offered to pay for all damages. They would not listen and decided to kill me and all the citizens here and to use this town as their new base."

"It became their fault when they decided to attack innocent civilians," Guy commented as he walked in with Lyn entering right after.

"I understand," Canas started, "but I must do something to fix this mess."

"Well, the bandits might of turned down your offer to pay for damages," the magistrate began, "but our town would be very grateful if we could have them."

"That is a wonderful idea," Canas joyfully declared. "I would be delighted to pay for all damages to this town, and I'll even throw in some extra in order to fix that irrigation system."

"You are a good man, Mr. Canas," the magistrate said thankfully.

"Well, we should probably stay here for the night," William said with a yawn.

"Too bad, we can't afford the inn," Lyn said with a seconding yawn.

"Sure, we can," Guy declared. "Canas will buy our rooms."

"Oh, Guy, he has payed enough already," Lyn stated.

"Actually, you can all have a free night with free dinner at our inn," the magistrate declared. "It's the least we can do for those who stopped those bandits."

"I'll pay for my room," Canas said.

"I think not, Mr. Canas," denied the magistrate. "You have given us enough money already. Please, do not insult us by denying our generosity."

"Uh- Of course not, I will accept your very gracious gift," Canas stuttered.

Of course, the inn would only have two vacant rooms. Since Guy had to stay with Canas because as he[Guy] put it: "He's my employer; I have to ensure his safety", this meant he and Lyn would need to share the other room. It was not that big of a deal since there were two separate beds.

At the moment, Lyn was polishing her two swords: the Manni Katti and Sol Katti. William was polishing the Sword of Betrothal. "Uh, Lyn, we should go eat dinner now," William said nervously even though he had no idea why he sounded so nervous.

Luckily, Lyn was not looking his direction so she did not see the nervousness which his face had for some reason, and she seemed to not take heed to it in the tone of what he had said. "Okay, let's go then," was her response as she stood and turned with a smile towards him. When she turned, he did not have that nervous expression anymore – luckily.

* * *

"Sir Ike, please, your injuries have still not healed completely. You need rest," a steward pleaded with the stubborn swordsman.

"I need to speak with your king about why I'm still here!" demanded Ike.

"We can answer that," said a heavily armored man with blond hair as he entered the room with another man who had lighter armor and blue hair. "Steward, please leave us."

"Who are you?" Ike asked.

"I am General Murdock, leader of three Dragon Generals of Bern," said the blond one. "And this man next to me is General Galle, another one of the three Dragon Generals."

"Alright, then tell me why I'm still here," Ike stated blatantly. "Your king said he would help me get back to my continent, so why am I not on a ship already ?"

"We are awaiting the arrival of someone who will be accompanying you to your continent: Tellius, I believe is what you called – Correct?" Murdock said plainly.

"What's so special about this person that I have to wait on him in order to leave?" Ike demanded.

"I have matters to attend to. Galle, I expect you to handle any questions and concerns that Sir Ike may have," Murdock stated before he left.

"Of course, General Murdock," Galle humbly said even though Murdock had left. "So, about your question..."


	4. Prologue pt 4

_**Author's Note****- **I am so sorry about how late this part is. With college and ... and ... _

_Jaffar: ... Procrastination._

_me: Uh, yeah, pretty much. Even without procrastination, this part took forever too write. It is really long. I hope you all enjoy it.  
_

_Nino: Please Review. _

**_Disclaimer: Just in case anyone is wondering, no, I do not own Fire Emblem, unfortunately. _**

_**New Lands**_

**Prologue: The Beginning of a New Journey**

**Part 4: Illia**

"Brrrrrr... It's s-so c-cold," announced Guy.

"Of course it's cold," Lyn replied. "We are in Illia – the coldest country on Elibe."

The snow-covered country of Illia is known for three things: one, blizzards; two, mercenaries; and three, pegasi. Because it is snowing for most of the year, there is no time to grow crops to eat. Illia must import all of its agricultural supplies – like food. In order to pay for this imported food, the Illian government sends out mercenaries. One of Lyn's closest friends, probably her best friend, happens to be an Illian mercenary.

* * *

"Boss, we're ready to attack," said a gruff voice.

"Oh, yes, of course, once Jaffar and Nino draw out the bandits, we'll charge there flank," explained a soft voice.

"Got it," the gruff voice responded.

* * *

"Jaffar, there are more bandits than we had thought," Nino whispered. They were surrounded on all sides by bandits. Their plan had accounted for only about twenty to forty bandits, but there was more like seventy to one hundred bandits.

"Nino," Jaffar started, "Stay exactly two feet away from me at all times." Jaffar readied his two blood red daggers. Four bandits charged in. Jaffar disappeared. Not a single bandit was left standing when he reappeared next to Nino. He grinned.

* * *

"Have our archers and mages, take out the enemy archers," the soft voice said. A minute later, arrows were shot down the mountain. They struck their targets. "Alright, now we charge so we can help Jaffar and Nino."

A second after the soft voice gave the order to charge, a hearty voice yelled, "CHARGE!" A pack of about twenty mercenaries charged down the slope. The only two who had stayed on the slope were a well-armored, blue haired man and a delicate, lavender-haired female pegasus knight.

"Lord Hector, um, thank you for your help with this mission," the pegasus knight said shyly.

"No problem, Florina," Hector said loudly. "Stay behind me, and I'll act as your shield."

* * *

"William! Look, bandits are attacking those two travelers!" Lyn exclaimed. "We have to help them!"

"Right!" William replied. "Guy, you and Lyn cut a path to the travelers. Canas, you and I will cover them with our magic from that ridge."

"Look over there! Mercenaries are charging the bandits' flank," Canas observed.

Lyn gasped. "Is that, Florina?"

"What? Where?" asked William as Lyn pointed her out. "Alright, we need to help Florina and those mercenaries route these bandits. Let's go!"

Lyn and Guy drew their swords as they rushed towards the two travelers. Guy cut down the first bandit who ran at them, but Lyn cut down two at the same time because of her two Kattis. They had killed at least fifteen bandits by the time they reached the wagon where the travelers were, but they soon realized that the travelers were really the "Angel of Death," Jaffar, and the young mage prodigy, Nino.

* * *

William and Canas had gotten up the ridge easily and were already raining down darkness and lightning onto the bandits. "Luckily, they don't have any ranged attackers," commented Canas.

"My guess is that the mercenaries already took out the enemy's range attackers; in order for their pegasus knights to be able to move freely about the skies without fear," William surmised.

"I suppose your right," Canas agreed.

* * *

"Hey, look, it's Lyn!" exclaimed Nino.

"Focus on the battle, Nino," Jaffar said coldly. "We can't afford to let up our guard even for a second."

"Right!" Nino said determinedly.

* * *

"Nino! We're here to help," Lyn yelled as she dashed over to Nino, cutting down three bandits in her path.

"Sorry, can't talk. Focusing on the battle," Nino replied as she blasted a bandit with an Elfire spell.

"Right," Lyn agreed. "We can talk once the battle is over."

"Lady Lyn," Jaffar said as he appeared behind Lyn.

"Ja- Jaffar," Lyn stammered. "You startled me."

Jaffar continued, "Protect Nino. I'm going after the boss." And before Lyn could reply, he was gone.

* * *

William could see one of the travelers running up a mountain path, killing bandit after bandit as he ascended. Canas interupted his train of thought, "Is that –"

"Jaffar?" William interupted. "Yes, I'm pretty sure it is. Canas, can you handle this position alone?"

"Yes, I can manage," Canas replied.

"Good," William said as he started down the ridge. "I'm going after Jaffar just in case he needs back up."

* * *

William saw Jaffar. He was standing in front of a man at least twice his size. William could tell that Jaffar and this man somehow knew each other. Jaffar suddenly spoke, "I finally found you, … , father."

William thought, "Did Jaffar just call that man, Father?"

"So you finally found me, huh, Jaffar?" the man said. "You think that you can kill me, your own father!"

"I can and I will," Jaffar stated calmly.

"You're just a worthless shell of a human. You don't even have a heart. All you were good for was some extra cash when I sold you to that Nergal guy," the man said.

"I use to think that I didn't have a heart, but that was before I met Nino. She talked to me like I was someone who mattered," Jaffar said calmly, "But, it is you who has no heart. You kill and plunder with no remorse. I once killed like that but not any more. That's enough talk. Now, you die." Jaffar turned his head to William, "Stay out this fight." William nodded.

"You'll just be another victim of my Devil Axe. Bwa ha ha," laughed the bandit leader. "Now die my worthles –s –s –s –GAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jaffar had moved so quickly that he had vanished and reappeared at his father's feet – his daggers dripping with fresh blood. "I knew … that … you were a –a –monster! Killing your only family to –to get ahead."

"You are not my family," Jaffar said in his cold, merciless voice.

"Gaahh..." the giant of a bandit fell over dead.

"Jaffar, are you –" William started.

"I'm fine. Like I said, he wasn't my family," Jaffar said plainly. "He was just another nameless bandit."

* * *

"Florina!" Lyn shouted as she embraced her in a giant hug. "How have you been? When did you join a mercenary group?"

"Oh, Lyn, it's so good to see you again," Florina started. "I've been great. I actually, um –"

Hector walked over and explained the rest, "Florina started this mercenary group; so that makes her the leader."

"Wow!" Lyn exclaimed. "That's amazing. Florina, I'm so proud of you."

"Not to get too far off subject," William interjected, "But, why are you here, Lord Hector?"

"I came to help Florina," Hector said as he put his hand on Florina's shoulder and as Florina blushed.

"Oh, I see," William said.

"We shouldn't be standing here in the cold snow any more," Canas said.

"Let's head to the town center; there is a really good restaurant there that we can stop at, and then we can head to our base," Florina said softly.

"That's a great idea,Florina," Lyn exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

"I'll second that," William added.

* * *

"That was delicious!" exclaimed Guy as he settled back in his chair and patted his stomach.

"Yes, best food in all of Illia!" Hector boisterously declared.

"Hey, Jaffar, Nino, you two don't need to sit so far away, you know," William called out.

"We're okay over here," Nino replied and then added, "Jaffar's too shy to sit with other people."

"You know that's not the reason, Nino," Jaffar coldly stated. "You can go sit with them if you want; I know yo do."

"Maybe a little," Nino said, "but I'd rather sit with you, Jaffar; and I was only teasing you about being shy."

"So, William, what was the bandit leader like?" Lyn questioned. "Canas said that you went to back up Jaffar."

Jaffar looked at William, who remembered what Jaffar had said on the mountain after killing the bandit leader: "Everything you heard up here, Forget it. All you know is that I killed some nameless bandit scum, period."

"Well, I wasn't really any help since all I did when I arrived was listen to some empty boasting via bandit leader and watch Jaffar effortlessly kill him with a single movement," William explained.

Canas got up and walked over to Nino, "Young Nino, I noticed your spell-work was quite exceptional on the battlefield. I must ask though: why have you not taken the Sage's Exam? I am quite certain that you would easily pass."

Nino looked down at her feet and answered, "Well, I don't have a Guiding Ring. Without it, I can't take the exam. Also, no proctor for the Sage's Exam comes out here; so even if I had a Guiding Ring, I couldn't take the exam."

"How would you like to take it now, Nino?" Canas inquired as he held out a ring and a slip of paper.

Jaffar took the paper and read, "This document hereby certifies the scholar, Canas Morrst, as an authentic proctor of the Sage's Exam."

"It's signed by Lord Pent, his wife, and Erk," William pointed out as he looked over Jaffar's shoulder. "I forgot that Erk was Pent's student."

Nino was fingering the ring and finally spoke, "Can I really use this Guiding Ring to take the exam, Mr. Canas sir; after all, it is yours."

"Of course, young Nino, I have no need of it," Canas replied.

"Okay, I'll take the exam!" Nino exclaimed.

"No you won't," Jaffar said coldly.

Everyone looked at Jaffar either with confusion or shock. Nino, looking pale, broke the silence, "But wh-"

Jaffar interupted, "You won't take the exam, you'll pass it." He grinned.

"Thanks, Jaffar," Nino exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Jaffar did not react at all to the hug.

"Come, Nino, we must prepare," Canas said, and the two of them left the restaurant.

"Lyn," Florina started, "I want to show you the sword shrine that we have here."

"A sword shrine!" Lyn exclaimed. "What type of sword is in there?"

"You'll have to wait until we get there," Florina giggled. "Lord Hector, why don't you take the others around the town."

"Actually, can I go see this sword as well, Lady Florina?" Guy asked humbly.

"Well, I don't know if I can get you and Lyn in to see it. The shrine guardian is very strict as it is, and –," Florina started.

Guy interupted and said, "I'm sure he'll let me see it once he hears that I'm the Saint of Swords!"

"And a not too humble one at that," William mumbled and everyone (except Guy) started to laugh.

"All joking aside," Lyn started as she finished laughing, "Guy is an exceptional swordsman; so, I'm sure we can convince the guardian to let all three of us in."

"Okay, let's go," Florina said, and the three of them left.

* * *

"What shall we do, fellas?" Hector asked.

After a couple minutes of thinking, William broke the silence, "Jaffar, that was really nice; what you said to Nino, I mean."

Jaffar shrugged.

"Jaffar," Hector started, "speaking about Nino, what is your relationship with her? You did betray the Black Fang, or should I say Nergal, in order to protect her." William thought about objecting to Lord Hector's question because of how rude and direct it sounded, but he had to admit that he was curious about the answer.

Jaffar sat there silently and motionlessly for several moments before answering, "Little sister. She's like a little sister to me."

"Makes sense," William said nodding his head.

"Well, than," Hector started, "let's go see Jaffars little sis take her exam!"

"You know where Canas took her?" William inquired.

"Of course!" Hector exclaimed. "The library! By the time we get there, the written exam will be over and the actual magic exam will start. It will be like an older brother going to see his younger sister in a school play."

"Sure, let's go," William agreed.

"I knew I would regret answering that question," Jaffar said as the three of them exited the restaurant.

* * *

The shrine was small rectangular building with columns on each side, which almost looked like an outer shell for the actual building. The columns and the building are made of marble, yet they are lavishly decorated with gold, silver, and jewels of all sizes. Above the entrance, a sign read, "Here sleeps the blade of the North Wind, Aquilo."

"The blade Aquilo," Guy absently said as he stared at the sign.

Lyn took notice of the swordsman's uncharacteristic behavior and said, "Guy, something wrong?"

"Wha- What?" Guy said as he was startled out of his trance. "I'm fine. It's just that I've heard of this sword before, but it was only in a dream. Also, the last time I had the dream was when I was ten; and I have never had that dream since."

"Did you say that you dreamt of the blade Aquilo?" said a man as he exited the shrine.

"Father Isaac," Florina started, "these are my friends, Lady Lyndis of Caelin and Sacae, and Sir Guy of Sacae. They are both extremely talented with the sword."

"And they wish to see Aquilo, correct?" the bishop said.

"Yes, please," Lyn politely asked.

"It would be an honor to see the blade of which I dreamt of so long ago," Guy added.

"You, Sir Guy, must see the sword because of these dreams," Isaac started, "but you, Lady Lyndis, must prove that you are worthy of laying eyes on it."

"That's fine with me, but how do I do that?" Lyn inquired.

"You will duel a friend of mine that has come from a distant land. He is possibly the best swordsman on the planet," Isaac stated. "His name is Zihark, and he is in the entrance hall of the shrine," Isaac eplained.

As they entered the hall, they saw a blue-haired man sitting in the middle of the room. He wore a bluish- gray trench coat and had two swords at his waist. He stood when he saw them.

"Father Isaac, who are these people?" Zihark asked.

"These are Florina, Lyndis, and Guy," the bishop explained. "They have come to see the sword. Guy needs to see it do to certain circumstances, but I must test Lady Lyndis. Zihark, please spar with her."

"Very well," Zihark said. "I have not had a good fight in awhile."

"You will each be using a single wooden training sword, and the first person to land a single hit wins," Isaac explained.

"Very well," Zihark agreed.

"Agreed," Lyn replied.

* * *

The library was quite plain compared to the shrine. Instead of marble, it was made of stone. It was decorated with onyx and sapphire. Engraved on the front was the text: "Arx Scholaris."

"Shall we enter?" William asked.

"Yes, of course," Hector heartily said.

As they entered, they saw several scholars busy about the library. One of which walked up to them. "Hello,are you three, per chance, friends of Master Canas?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," William answered. "Who are you?"

"I am the head librarian here," the scholar replied. "You may call me, Lee."

"We came to see the Sage's Exam that he is proctoring," William explained.

"Sorry, but the written exam is still going on and no one other than the proctor is allowed to be in the room with the applicant," Lee apologized. "It shouldn't be much longer; and once the written part is finished, I will come fetch you all for the magic part of the exam."

"Okay, that's fine," William agreed. Lee walked back to his desk in order to work.

"What are we supposed to do while we wait?" Hector asked, a little too loudly; because he was shushed by several passing scholars.

"Well, seeing that we are in a library," William started sarcastically, "how about we read."

"We probably don't have enough time to find good books to read," Hector stated. "Besides, I have a question for you, William."

William looked confused due to the way Hector put emphasis on 'you', but he replied casually, "Okay."

"I asked Jaffar about his relationship with Nino, and now I ask you a similar question: What is your relationship with Lyn?" Hector said.

"Uh, what do you mean?" William asked.

"Well, on the way into town, Guy told me of how the four of you – Lyn, Guy, Canas, and yourself – had come to travel together. According to him, he was traveling with Canas as his bodyguard; and Lyn and you were already traveling together when you all met up in a town being attacked by bandits," Hector explained. "So, were you two traveling just as friends, or as something –"

"Just as friends, Lord Hector," William interrupted. "We were, and still are, traveling to Bern."

"Remember that journal that you had a year ago? The one that you thought was destroyed when our campsite was burned down near were we found Merlinus," Hector started. "Well, it wasn't. I found it partially charred in the rubble of the campsite. I didn't know whose it was so I read a few pages and them some more pages, and before I knew it, I had read the entire book. By then, I knew whose it was."

William face was pale, "Th- The whole thing?"

"Yep," Hector replied. "Just ask her out already. It's easy."

"How would you know?" William countered.

"Because I've been on a date before," Hector returned.

"With who?" William pushed.

"With, uh, erm, well it, maybe not an official 'date' date, but –" Hector stammered.

"I knew it. You haven't asked her on a real date yet, have you?" William interrupted.

"You don't know who it is," Hector retorted.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," William said. "Florina, perhaps?"

Hector was about to speak when Jaffar suddenly entered the conversation, "If you both don't shut up, I am going to kill both of you."

Before either Hector or William could respond, Lee came over and said, "Well, the written exam is now over. The Magic Exam will begin in ten minutes. The room for spectators is up those stairs at the right and through a door labeled 'S1'." He pointed towards some stairs and then returned to his desk.

Neither Hector nor William spoke while they walked to the spectators room; and, of course, Jaffar was silent as well.

* * *

Zihark held his training sword casually at his side, but Lyn had hers in its sheath as she grasped the hilt. She charged, and with lightning quick speed, she unsheathed her sword and continued the motion into a swift horizontal slice as she dashed past Zihark. Zuhark, however, sidestepped to avoid the attack; and he readied himself for Lyn's next onslaught. Lyn dashed at him again, and this time, she made four continuous slices at him; but he parried each one and on the last one disarmed her. Zihark saw his opening and slashed down diagonally. Lyn was just able to dodge thhe attack, but her sword was across the room from her. Zihark, expecting her to dash for her sword, readied his word in a position behind his back, raised his free hand as a guard between the two of them, and lowered his center of gravity. Lyn, however, surprised him by dashing right at him – without a sword! He slashed horizontally at her; but she dropped to her knees to slide under the wooden blade. As she passed his right leg, she hit it with a simple chopping gesture.

"I win!" Lyn cheered as she stood up. Seeing everyone's confused faces, she explained, "Well, Father Isaac said and I quote, 'The first person to land a single hit wins,'end quote. He didn't say it had to be with a sword."

"Ha, Ha, Ha," laughed the bishop. "How insightful! I certainly did not expect that!"

"Well, as soon as he parried my four consecutive slices and disarmed me, I knew that I would not win if I fought him in a straight up sword fight. So instead of going after the sword, I surprised him with a direct charge," Lyn explained further.

"You realized that you could not beat him in a swordfight; so you found a loophole in my rules, and still won," Father Isaac stated. "I will allow you to see the sword Aquilo."

"Thank-you, Father Isaac!" Lyn exclaimed.

"That was a job well done, Lady Lyndis," Zihark complimented.

"Please, I prefer Lyn," Lyn replied.

"The sword's resting place is this way," the bishop said as he motioned for all of them to follow.

As they entered the shrine, they saw the sword resting on a blue pillow. It was about as long as one of Lyn's Kattis's. There was a slight curve to the blade, but not as much as Lyn's Kattis. The blade seemed to be tinted a very faint and light blue.

All of a sudden, Guy absently walked over to the pedestal and lifted the sword of its resting place.

"Guy, what are you doing?" Lyn questioned.

"It's alright," the Bishop replied. "If he can draw the sword, than the sword has chosen him. Go ahead, Sir Guy, draw the sword Aquilo from its sheath."

Guy wrapped his hand around the hilt, and as his hand moved backwards, the sword gently glided out of its sheath. He held the blade up to his face and examined the sword closely. "It's amazing!" he exclaimed.

"Please take care of it, Sir Guy," Isaac started. "I can finally rest: good bye, my friends." Bishop Isaac then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Where did he go? Was he a spirit?" Lyn asked out loud.

"No, he simply had a warp staff concealed behind his back," Zihark replied..

They all laughed at the Bishop's exit. Guy finally spoke, "Is it really okay for me to take this sword?"

"If you don't bandits will, because now the shrine has no guardian," Zihark pointed out.

"I see your point," Guy agreed. "I shall wield the blade Aquilo!" He said as forcefully swung the sword. To everyone's surprise, a green-glowing wave of energy was flung off of the sword and struck a nearby wall leaving a gash in it and causing a breeze throughout the room.

Lyn, the first to recover from the shock, asked first, "How did you do that Guy?"

I don't know!" Guy exclaimed. "All I did was swing it!"

"So the rumors are true," Zihark mused.

"You knew about this, Mr. Zihark?" Florina quietly asked.

"Only rumors but yes," Zihark said. "However, I was just as surprised as you were when I saw that they were true."

"Well, it's getting late; so we should go now," Lyn starte.

"Okay, I'll show you to the mercenary fort," Florina shyly said.

"You're welcome to come as well, Zihark," Lyn offered.

"I will most happily accept the offer," Zihark stated.

"Come on already. Hurry it up," Guy was saying as he excitedly rushed ahead – even though he had no idea where he was going.

* * *

"Are you ready, Nino?" Canas asked.

"Yes!" Nino enthusiastically replied.

"Very well," Canas started. "For the Magic Exam, all you must do is hit – with magic – the five targets that I have hidden around this field. You have one hour to accomplish this."

"Mr. Canas, why did you specifically say 'with magic'?" Nino asked. "I figured that you meant using magic anyways."

"I'm not sure, but something just told me to say it so a loophole couldn't be found," Canas wondered. "Anyways, shall we begin?"

"Yes!" Nino eagerly said.

"Ready … Set … … GO!" Canas shouted.

Nino started to look all around her for a target, but she did not see any. The field was divided into five sections (six if you include the bare center). Each section represented a different biome and a different magic type: the tundra, wind (and ice); the mountain, thunder; the volcano, fire; the cave, darkness (a.k.a. Elder magic); and plains, light. Nino remembered the magic triangle: the Trinity of Magic and the Anima Triangle. Since mages and sages do not use light or dark magic , she focused on the Anima Triangle which is the following: Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Thunder, and Thunder beats Fire. Because she primarily focuses on fire magic, she first ran to the weakness of fire – wind.

As she looked around the tundra, she finally saw a group of concentric circles under a layer of ice. She took out her Elfire tome and chanted the spell. Out of no where two fireballs materialized and shot into the ice covering the target; and suddenly a great blaze burst from the spot that they hit. The target was left reveled in a puddle of melted ice.

"Found one!" Nino yelled.

"You must strike the target with the same element that is shown on it," Canas explained.

Nino looked at the target closely and saw the insignia for wind. She pulled out a Wind tome and chanted that spell. A breeze surrounded her outstretched palm as a single blade of wind materialized and shot forth at the target. The target was cleaved in two.

"One target found; Four left!" Canas shouted from his spot in the center of the field. "Time remaining: 49 minutes, 36 seconds!"

"Hey another one!" Nino gleefully shouted as she ran towards a target embedded on the facade of a glacier. On this target was a fireball. So Nino pulled out a tome of fire but not Elfire. She said the spell as a fireball materialized in her hand. She launched it at the glacial target, and after it struck the target, the glacier collapsed.

"Two targets found! Three left!" Canas shouted. "Time remaining: 47 minutes, 23 seconds.

Within twenty more minutes, she found a target in the volcano section with a fir insignia and a target in the mountain section with a wind insignia. Unfortunately for Nino, she could not find the last one.

"Time remaining: 10 minutes!" Canas shouted.

"I can do this!" Nino said to herself. She than had an idea and ran over to Canas. "Mr. Canas, am I allowed to use any resources on the field to locate the targets?"

"Of course, young Nino," he replied.

"Well then … Where is the last target, Mr. Canas?" Nino enthusiastically inquired.

"What? I'm the proctor, Nino," Canas started before Nino interrupted.

"But you said I can use any resource on the field, and you are on the field!" Nino exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, I guess I have to answer you than," Canas answered as he rubbed the back of his head. He then got serious before continuing, "There, at the top of that stone pillar in the center of the mountain section. The insignia is for thunder magic." He was pointing at the highest point in the mountain section. "Also, time remaining:5 minutes."

Nino raced back to the mountain section, pulled out a thunder tome, and chanted the spell. She pointed to the target, but the lightning bolt struck the side of the pillar and not the target. "Why did it have to be thunder?" she said to herself. Thunder happens to be Nino's least trained with element.

Unlike fire and wind magic, which materialize around or in front of the caster, thunder magic actually comes from the sky; and thus, it is harder to direct.

Meanwhile in the spectator's room...

"So, William, is thunder magic really harder than other magic to aim?" Hector questioned.

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "I happened to pick up on it quite naturally, but when it comes to any of the other four magics, I can't even use the training level."

"So, you're a natural at thunder magic, huh?" Hector asked even though it was more of a statement than a question. "Do you think that you will become better than Erk, Nino, or even Lord Pent, at least with thunder?

"I doubt it," William said with a short laugh.

Jaffar spoke up suddenly, "Would you two shut up and just watch the exam!"

Back on the Field...

Nino had shot several bolts toward the target, but all had missed. "Come on, focus, Nino, focus," she said to herself. "If only I could shoot the lightning from down here like fire and wind," she pondered. "Maybe... I got it!"

Nino raised her arm with two fingers extended, focused all her energy right at the tips of those two fingers, and chanted the spell. Canas, as he saw what she was doing, yelled, "Nino! Don't draw the bolt to yourself like other anima magic. It's like being struck like lightning!" But before he could stop her, lightning started to form in the sky. The bolt went straight down to where Nino was directing it – herself!

The bolt struck Nino's fingers, but it did not travel any further. Instead, it was contained right at her fingertips. She smiled, spun around, aimed, and shot the bolt at the target. Within a second of leaving her fingers, the bolt blasted the target to pieces.

"Yay! I did it!" Nino shouted as she jumped up and down repeatedly.

"Five targets found! 0 targets left!" Canas shouted. "Time remaining:28 seconds!"

Nino ran over to Canas before saying, "What now, Mr. Canas?"

Canas smiled and said, "Now, I, Canas Morrst, as a certified proctor of the Sage's Exam, hereby grant you the promotion of Sage. Congratulations, Nino, you pass!"

As Canas and Nino walked into the library from the field, William, Hector, and Jaffar were walking down the stairs from the spectator's room. Nino ran over to Jaffar and embraced him in a big bear hug. "I passed, Jaffar!"

"Congratualtions, Nino," Jaffar said as he patted her head.

"Congratulations, indeed, Nino!" Hector shouted, only to be shushed by nearly everyone in the library – including his four companions.

"Yes, good job, Nino," William added after the shushing had ended.

"Thanks, William and you, Lord Hector," Nino gratefully said.

"Well, it's getting late; so, let's head to the fort now," Hector said, much quieter now.

"That is a good idea," Canas seconded.

* * *

As Florina flew ahead to make sure the trail was safe, the group saw some familiar faces.

"Hey, William!" Lyn shouted when she saw him.

"Notice how she called to you and not the rest of us," Hector whispered quietly to William who did not need to look at Hector to know that he [Hector] had a big grin on his face.

When they got closer, William replied, "Hey, Lyn, long time, no see. Did you see the sword?"

"Guy stepped forward and as he unsheathed his sword, he said, "You mean, this sword!"

"Guy!" Lyn shouted, which startled him. "You stole the sword, Aquilo!"

"W- What?!" Guy stammered. "No! Remember the guardian gave it to me and then vanished before I could refuse!"

Lyn started laughing and said, "I- I- was … a … ha... ju- just … jok- jokiing."

"Good one, Lyn," complimented William as he and the rest of the group started laughing [except Guy].

The laughter was just dying down when Florina flew back. "What's so funny?" she timidly asked.

"I'll tell you about it later, Florina," Lyn said gently to her friend.

As the group moved forward, the path started to become more rocky, and the footing became more dangerous. The snow also made the path slippery, and thus, even more dangerous.

"Aahhh!" yelled Lyn who was about to fall down, but Zihark and William quickly caught her.

"What happened?" William asked caringly. "Are you okay?"

"I think I twisted my ankle," she replied.

"How far are we from the fort?" Zihark asked Florina.

"We still have a little less than four miles to go," was her reply.

"Can you walk?" questioned Guy.

"I think so – Ah!" she cried out as she tried to stand and fell. Luckily, Zihark and William caught her again.

"Huey doesn't like anyone else riding her except me, even if I tell her it's okay," Florina stated apologetically.

"I'll carry her," William said.

"Are you sure, William," Lyn started. "I can probably jus …."

William interrupted her, "Don't worry about. I'll be fine; and there's no way that I would let you walk on a sprained ankle. That will just make it worse!"

"Or any of us for that matter," Hector said. William knew exactly why Lord Hector had added that part.

"Uh, here, put my cloak on to keep warm," William said as he handed her his cloak. "It will just get in the way if I'm wearing it."

"Okay," Lyn agreed. As William helped her put the cloak on, she could feel her face blush a little, yet she did not know why.

Zihark and Guy helped Lyn onto William's back. She blushed a little as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Shall we get going?" Hector said as he turned towards the trail. William could tell that he was grinning. But when Hector saw Florina dismounting Huey, he asked her, "What are you doing Florina?"

"Huey is really tired from all the flying that she did today, so I'm letting her rest." she timidly replied.

"Maybe I should carry you," Hector declared surprising Zihark, who did not know Hector that well, and making Florina blush thrice as much as Lyn was.

"I think that is a great idea," Lyn and William unintentionally said at the same time.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I -" Hector started before Florina's answer interrupted him.

"O- Okay," she stammered shyly as she blushed. "I am tired and I'm not use to hiking such a long distance."

Zihark and Canas helped Florina onto Hector's back, but Hector decided to raise Florina to his shoulders.

"EEK!" Florina screeched.

"Don't worry Florina. I'll make sure you don't fall," Hector said. "I can't let William show me up. So if he can carry Lyn on his back; then I can easily carry you on my shoulders."

Guy then said, "Can we finally get the fort already; I'm starving!" At which everyone started to laugh.

No one talked while they journeyed to the fort except Nino, who told everyone of her Sage's Exam, and Guy, who wouldn't stop talking about his sword and about how hungry he was.

_**Author's Note**__**:  
** So ... Long ...  
_

_I hope that I am not progressing Lyn William's relationship too fast. Please review and tell me what you think because I am not a mind reaser ... yet. _


	5. Prologue pt 5

_**Author's**_** Note: **Well, here's the next part in my story. Sorry for the lateness. I had writer's block about how to go about this chapter.

Jaffar: Not to mention procrastination.

me: yeah ... that too. (sighs) Any ways, Nino, take it away.

Nino: First of all, Wolfemblem does not own Fire Emblem and never will. Second, Please Review!

me: I wish I owned Fire Emblem.

_**New Lands**_

_**Prologue: The Beginning of a New Journey**_

**Part 5: The End of the Beginning**

Two days have passed since William and friends left the blizzard country of Illia and entered the Empire of Bern. In total, it has been seven days since William and Lyn left her ger at the beginning of this journey. Since than, they have met many different people, some they knew and some they did not. They are currently traveling with the following: Guy, the Saint of Swords; Canas, the Scribe of Darkness; Jaffar, the "Angel of Death"; Nino, the Magic prodigy; and Zihark, the wandering swordmaster.

"I'm glad that I got to see Florina," Lyn said cheerfully. Lyn's ankle was completely healed thanks to the day that the group stayed at the fort.

"So, Jaffar, why did you and Nino decide to join our group, again?" inquired William as he pondered how suddenly the two had offered to come along.

"I can answer that!" Nino chirped in. "I was talking to Jaffar when I may have slipped out something about wanting to go, but I didn't really think much about it and kept talking. Jaffar, however, had picked up on it and must have been thinking about it; because after awhile, he spoke up and said 'okay, we can go with William, Lyn, and the others if you want to'. I was surprised but instantly answered yes."

"That's not the way I remember it, Nino," Jaffar stated. "I remember that you were begging me to join them. She would not stop until I finally said 'okay'."

"Nuh, uh!" Nino denied. "I wasn't begging!"

"Yes, you were," Jaffar answered.

"So, Zihark," William started, wanting to change the direction of the conversation. "You're actually from Tellius?"

"That is correct," Zihark stated. "I came here with a friend of mine, Ike the mercenary. We got caught in a storm that tore apart our ship. I ended up on the Illian shore, and according to what you've told me, Ike must have ended up on the shore of the Bern Empire. When I woke up, I was being taken care of by a troubadour and her escort; I believe their names were Priscilla and Erk, respectively."

"Wow, what a coincidence," William replied. "We actually know those two."

"Is there anyone you people don't know?" Zihark asked sarcastically. "Apparently, you also know the King of a large empire."

"We don't know _everyone_ on Elibe," stated William.

"What's this Ike person like?" Guy asked Zihark.

"Well, he is honest, strong, straightforward, and stubborn as a mule. He also cares not for the bickering of nobles nor about what race someone is from. He is a master swordsman and has pretty good skill with an axe as well. He searched for and killed the man who had killed his father. He stopped a man known as the 'Mad King' and thus stopped the 'Dark God' from escaping its prison. Although the Dark God was really the Goddess of Chaos as we found out later. She was actually the 'good guy'. He defeated the King of Dragons and destroyed the Goddess of Order; thus saving all of Tellius," Zihark expounded. "I like to think that I helped as well."

"Wow..." is all Guy could say after that description.

"Good job, Zihark, you broke Guy," William said sarcastically.

** -WMWMWM-**

After four days of traversing the rugged mountainous terrain of Bern, the group finally made it to Bern Keep. The keep was surrounded on three sides by large mountains; thus making only the front accessible via ground travel. However, one could plainly see the many wyvern riders flying about the castle and mountains. The keep itself was quite large. It was built out of stone yet also had many steel adjustments put on.

As the group entered into the outer courtyard (the only part accessible by travelers), they noticed many portable stands selling goods, most likely to tourists. They quickly made their way to the gate that led to the rest of the castle.

"What business have you past this gate?" a guard asked.

"I am the tactician, William," William stared. "I have been called by your King."

"Very well, follow me," the guard motioned as he opened the gate.

The gate closed after the group had entered. Once they had crossed the inner courtyard, they entered a main hallway in which the guard led them to a small room.

"Wait here while I inform the King of your arrival," the guard ordered. He then left, and they all could hear the guard locking the door.

"He just locked us in here!" Guy exclaimed angrily.

"No he didn't," Jaffar said calmy.

"What do mean, Jaffar?" Guy questioned.

"That door needs a key to lock and unlock it from the outside, but on the inside, there is no keyhole – just a button lock on the door knob," Jaffar replied coolly as he pointed towards the door knob.

Guy turned the knob which easily popped the button into the unlock position. "Wow," Guy muttered.

** -WMWMWM-**

After about ten minutes the guard walked back to the room with the King's guests, but now he had the King himself and two of the three Dragon Generals following him. When he reached the door, he pulled out his key to unlock the door (he did not know that it was already unlocked). He turned the key and tried to open the door, but he couldn't because the door was locked. The guard was confused but turned the key to unlock the door again. When he tried to open it, it was still locked once again. The King and his two generals were starting to look impatient. The guard silently prayed that the door would be unlocked when he turned the key and twisted the knob. He sighed a breath of relief when the did, in fact, swing open.

"You may return to your post now," General Murdock told the guard, who briskly left the scene.

** -WMWMWM-**

Before the door finally opened Guy was chuckling to himself when all of a sudden, he was elbowed in both sides Lyn and Jaffar; and Canas also slapped him in the back of his head.

"What was that for?" he mopingly asked.

Before anyone could reply to his question the door was fully opened with the guard on the other side. Behind him though was King Zephiel, General Murdock, and General Gale. Guy's face blanched.

"You may return to your post now," General Murdock told the guard, who briskly left the scene.

The guys bowed, and the girls curtsied. Jaffar just dipped his head a bit.

William spoke first, "Well, I have returned as I said I would, Your Majesty. When shall we depart?"

King Zephiel, even though he was around the same age as William, looked stern as he said, "You are too late. Sir Ike left three days ago."

"What? How?" William started. "As of today, I still had another day before needing to be here; so you're telling me that he left four whole days early?"

"Yes," General Gale spoke now. He was calm and collected. "He procured the services of a group of pirates led by a man named Fargus."

"Fargus? I thought he only traveled around Badon," Guy commented.

"You know this rogue?" Murdock questioned.

"We've crossed paths before," William said.

"Wait a second," Zihark started. "THAT JERK LEFT ME!"

"So, you are from this continent of Tellius as well?" questioned Zephiel.

"Yes, I was originally traveling with Sir Ike until we came upon a storm that destroyed our ship," Zihark briefly explained.

"Perhaps you are not too late after all," Zephiel pondered as he turned to face William.

"Now, we are going with Zihark to Tellius, right?" William guessed.

"Precisely," Zephiel answered. He then turned to General Gale, "Go prepare a ship immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty," was Gale's reply before he hastily yet calmly made his way to the royal docks.

"I wish all the best of luck," King Zephiel said as he turned to the tactician's group.

** -WMWMWM-**

"Are you ready to depart?" General Gale asked as the group drew near.

"Yes, we are, Sir Gale," William responded. "So how long will we be staying on Tellius?"

"I don't know," Gale started. "My job is only to take you there. "

"You're coming with?" William asked. "Aren't you needed here?"

"General Murdock can handle anything that comes up," Gale explains.

"What are we waiting for, let's board the ship already!" Lyn cheerfully exclaimed.

"Of course!" William shouted after her.

The ship was made from sturdy oak wood. The hull was reinforced with iron bands. The great mast was reinforced with steel. There were at least twenty cannons on the deck of the ship, and there were probably more below deck. The ship had a crew of thirty: ten sailors and twenty soldiers. That's not counting General Gale or William and his friends.

** -WMWMWM-  
**

As they headed out of the docks, William and friends all looked towards the horizon. William knew that this journey would be full of hardships, but he also knew that his friends would be there to have his back. He was especially glad that right next to him, leaning against the side of the ship, was Lyn, a girl from the plains and his peerless warrior.

End of Prologue!

_**Author's Note: ** _The Prologue is finally over! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue. Next up- Chapter 1: On the High Seas. (Title subject to change)

Please review! Give me ideas, comments, or just "I like this": any type of feedback! (Except Hating. No hating!)

Based on my history with procrastination, I'm not going to say, "Don't worry, I'm going to have the next chapter up sooner!".

I will TRY to get the next chapter up soon.

**Behind the Scenes**

with your host, Nino!

Nino: I'm here to shed some light onto what goes through Wolfemblem's mind as he writes this story.

First, I would like to say that this part was originally supposed to be titled "The King of Bern". But after writing it, Wolfemblem decided that His Highness did not end up with a very big role in the part.

Second, the heroes were originally going to stay in a town near Bern Keep for a night, because they had arrived at night so the keep was locked up tight.

Jaffar: Nino, what are you doing?

Nino: uh, uh, Hey a special guest! It's none other than my Big Brother, Jaffar!

Jaffar: I knew I shouldn't of answered that question.

Nino, it's time to let the poor reader's leave already.

Nino: NO! They're my prisoners! (laughs maniacally)

Jaffar: (picks up Nino, swings her over his shoulder, and turns toward the readers) Alright, nothing to read here. Go on get out of here!

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Why are you still here?

If you don't leave now, I will kill you.

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Alright, Time to die...


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